


The Time Machine: Proof

by Lumberjackk



Category: Red Seas Under Red Skies, The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 09:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9228182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumberjackk/pseuds/Lumberjackk
Summary: The Medical Man meets Locke and Jean





	

**Author's Note:**

> Cut short, this was an assignment (The rule was no more than 5 pages, I wrote 10)

I went home that night feeling suspicious about the flowers. They looked unusual and I had asked to see them but the Time Traveler took them from me with haste. That could either mean that they are special to him, since they are from Weena, or that he simply does not want to give up this scheme of lies he has set up. So that morning, I was going to get those flowers through force. I knocked on the Time Traveller’s door but no one was there. As I stepped inside it was clear to me that he was not inside the house or had been in a while. He had also mentioned something about two time machines at the dinner, but I shook the thought of time traveling out of my head. I searched for the flowers but could not find them. I checked to see if they were in his laboratory, but they were gone! I peered at the time machine. There was only one, but I didn’t think it would be anything but a sleight of hand magic trick. One could not simply travel through the very same unit that keeps us moving at an ever-consistent rate. If the Time Traveller’s theory is true, then he would disappear if he were to travel back in time. If he travelled very far into the past, he would not be born and therefore have to suddenly go back to present, leaving the time machine there. He could, however, go into the future without a problem. I looked thoroughly at the machine. The clock was elegantly carved and glistened in the sunlight that shone through the window. Its seat looked rather comfortable and the mechanisms were set up in a matter of orderly fashion. I hopped on, hoping to finally prove that there was no such thing as an Eloi or Morlocks, or even a fourth dimension. It would all just be a joke for the public to notice a poor inventor trying to live off of lies. I was ready to let the world know about the man who cried for attention, making up stories and lies, and even going so far as dressing up in bloody clothes. Nobody ever had or ever would travel throughout time, as it kept us in check and was the only consistent thing that would never stop. Not if we did, not if we stopped counting. Time would be endless and unchangeable.

I looked at the time machine. I could see that its rail was a little bit bent, which was unusual because no ordinary man could have bent it and it would have been a poor decision to break it for evidence. I decided I would explore the possibilities of the useless mechanism. I hopped inside hoping to find something that worked. I spied two polished silver levers at the front of the machine by the “time dial.” I pulled one and the machine started spinning rapidly. I looked frantically for something to stop it, but found nothing. I spun and spun until my foot hit the lever and the time machine, throwing me out. I ran back to the machine. “Year eight thousand and seventy-four!” I exclaimed. There was nothing around me but night. A cold, dark sea gave a cool breeze across the deserted city. There was a circular lit up building that seemed to be the only evidence of human life. When I walked in it was nice and warm. There was a tall staircase that I walked up. The building was full of people playing games, having meals, and smoking. I stopped at the sixth floor and had some tobacco myself. As I cut the end I noticed an unusual woman out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to be half human and half metal. I didn’t want to stare, so I looked in the opposite direction. On that side there were men dressed as well as I and women dressed in dresses and vests. Everyone was talking to one another and I thought I might observe the place. The tables where games were played were polished and looked as if hand-carved. The chairs were elegant and matched the tables with soft red cushioning pillows to contrast the dark wood. The walls had a light brown tint and were accented by gold trim. It was a fancy place and I was glad to be dressed for the occasion. “How did the Time Traveller get hurt here?” I thought. I went to go get a drink but could not identify anything other than water. There seemed to be a blue liquor that was quite popular, so I chose to drink that. It tasted something of blueberries and was very light for something of its quality. I enjoyed it very much for I had not had anything quite like it. I slipped out of the peculiar place after about an hour. When I walked out, I left the time machine where it was since it had been right by the bay and nobody would take it because it would act like a carriage parked on the side of the road. There seemed to be a hotel, so I went in its direction. I walked in and to my luck, found a hotel lobby. I asked for one bedroom, pulling out a good sum of money. “That’ll be two solari.” The concierge said. “What?” I asked. “I’ll pay,” said the man behind me.

 

I thanked the man for paying and introduced myself to him. His name was Master Kosta, a man of great wealth and power. He had dark brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin. He was dressed in a brown jacket with a white undershirt and tight brown breeches, all accented by a gold watch. I said goodbye and thanks one last time before going to my room. Kosta had given me one hundred solari before he left so that I could live for a while in the city. My room was elegant and classy. It had cream colored walls and a tan floor. There were paintings on the walls of men in some sort of governing position accented by gold frames. I drew myself a bath and relaxed as the time went by. After a while, I drained the bath and went to sleep. I had weird dreams, though. I dreamed that I was taken prisoner on a ship by a powerful captain and her first mate. I was taking a peaceful boat ride to someplace else, I don’t know where, and was enjoying the ride. Suddenly, a much bigger ship attacked ours and the captain died. I had been taking prisoner along with the rest of the crew and now I was tied up on the other ship’s mast. We were passing through a storm and I was soaking wet. The ship rocked back and forth, which made me seasick. I vomited all over myself and the swaying of the boat was only becoming more aggressive. The captain seemed to be sacrificing my blood to the gods of the water. She slit my wrists with a dagger and collected the blood in her hands, only to throw it overboard. “Great,” I thought, “now I’m covered in rain, vomit, and blood.” The endless cycle of pain seemed to last a lifetime before the captain untied me from the mast. The storm passed, revealing blue skies. At last I was thrown overboard, only to wake up even more startled. I was no longer in my hotel room bed, I was tied up in the back of a carriage and I was covered in rain, vomit, and blood.

 

I had been kidnapped. After many failed attempts, I untied myself from the ropes around my feet and hans and climbed into the main part of the carriage. I saw Master Kosta and some other friend of his seated facing each other. “What in the world is going on?” I screamed at them. Master Kosta’s friend spoke up. “We figured that you could help us,” he hesitated, “do some unfriendly things. I’m Master de Ferra by the way, and you’ve met Master Kosta.” Master de Ferra was dressed in a black suit with a gold watch identical to Master Kosta’s. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and an extremely muscular build. “I will help you on one condition,” I retorted, “I get a nice shower, a set of clothes, and also a room to sleep in. Then, and only then, will I help you.” “Alright,” said Master Kosta, “deal, but I need you to risk everything for this, understand?” “Understood.” I replied.  
I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into. I had’t had a chance to recover myself and I was making some incredibly poor decisions. I had just agreed to work for the same people that kidnapped me after paying for my hotel room. All I knew was that there were definitely no Eloi or Morlocks. There weren’t even the same landmarks. No porcelain palace, no giant dining hall, just various structures and docks. What was the Time Traveller thinking? 

I was going to stay at the same hotel for a year exactly so that I would have a place to sleep as long as I was employed. I had a week to rest and explore the city on my own so that I wouldn’t be as confused as I was at the time. I returned to the large circular building which I learned was the Sinspire. I went to the second floor to observe the players. I ordered chocolate-dusted cherries, some more of the blue liquor, and a pipe to smoke. I was wearing some of the fine clothes that Mater Kosta and de Ferra had given me for the week. I had a white button-up shirt and a navy blue coat over it, matching navy breeches, black polished shoes, white gloves, and a silver watch. I saw the half metal woman once again. She wore a fiery red dress and golden shoes that looked rather dashing on her. I asked the man next to me what her name was. He gave a look of surprise as if everyone knew her. He told me her name was Selendri. She was the partner of the man who owned the Sinspire itself. The man told me that half of her was metal because she was burned by an alchemical poison and could only save half of herself. He also told me that she could pull out an attached weapon at a moment’s notice. I made a mental note not to cross her. As I watched, I realized that the attendants were calling out the names of games that I did not recognize. The current game was carousel hazard. It worked like a game of poker, but every few seconds a carousel would shoot out small doses of alcoholic beverages that one player had to drink. The first one to pass out lost. It was played in twosomes like every other game at the Sinspire. I went to the first floor where there was a testing of the carousel hazard beverages. After one, I already began to feel the effects of the alcohol. It tasted like vanilla and plum; a rather creamy mixture. I returned to my hotel exhausted. In the morning, I would wake up late, get brunch, take a walk, and repeat it all again.

After the week had passed, I began training. My first lesson was to climb a mile high wall. I was given a rope and climbing gear. I had to tie a knot to the bottom of a tree in the distance. Then, I attached a hook to the other side of the rope and threw it to the top of the wall. Using my equipment, I climbed up the wall. Once I had climbed it, I slid down the roped to the tree. Master Kosta and de Ferra finished the rest of training in under a week. I was in my most muscular state and could conquer all. My first assignment wasn’t easy. I had to assassinate a gang leader. He led the Black Coves and was in our city at the time. I chased him down to the docks. We were both alone, so I didn’t have the challenge of fighting his gang; though I would rather take on all nine of them than him. He threw me to the ground, pointing a saber to my chest. I wrestled with him for a good ten minutes, trying not to get stabbed. I didn’t notice the time machine until he fell onto it, shattering the entire thing. Glass and sparks flew everywhere. He died in that mess, a burnt body covered in blood and glass. It prevented me from dying, but it also prevented me from returning to the present. I returned to Masters Kosta and de Ferra with the body in my arms. They nodded in approval when I held it in front of them. I retuned to my hotel with five hundred solari. For every assassination, I was allowed a three day vacation. I returned to the Sinpire, but never walked out again.

 

I went to the first floor again and ordered the same thing I did every time; cherries, a pipe, and the blue liquor. There was a show where a young man would stand inside of a cage of birds and try to kill them. These weren’t any birds, though, these birds were illegal. They were red with spine backs, sharp talons, and steel spikes on their wings. One could easily kill a man, and the poor boy had to fend off six. I wasn’t able to see anything due to the cluster of people and the coating of blood over everything. All that was left behind was the young man’s dead body and the crowd’s ignorance. What was most shocking was that people would bet on those types of events. Whether it be one or one hundred solari, the rich never ceased to spend their money on the pleasure of others’ suffering. 

 

As I was about to leave the building, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I thought I was the last to exit, but I was wrong. I turned around swiftly only to perfectly position myself facing a crossbow bolt. “Please, don’t shoot!” I begged, but the man would not take in. He took me to a climbing closet. We went through the passage right to Selendri. “Thank you,” she told the man as he exited. “Why am I here?” I asked. However, I never got an answer and now I am trapped in a prison in another world, another time, and soon another life. I have stolen a crossbow from the guard and plan to use it for my own purposes. I document it now so that someone may read my story and feel my pain and hear my pleading to go back because now I too know what it feels like to time travel. As I put the crossbow to my head nothing but hope for the heavens fills my mind, nothing but tears fill my eyes, and nothing but my heartbeat can I hear, for I have every reason to be afraid of what is to come. I wish it didn’t have to end this way that I could return to Master Kosta and de Ferra, but I cannot for I must die here at the Sinspire to which I regret going. I admit that in my visits I had fallen in love with Selendri. She had worn an elegant dress every day, and the skin that was left was very young and smooth. She had a beautiful face and her voice could sing me to sleep. I had talked to her every day but now she betrayed me. I would still forgive her, how could I be hostile to such grace and beauty? It kills me to see her walk away from me, to abandon my love. Oh how I wish I could rest in peace but now I must rest in agony, for the crossbow will hurt the entire time it kills me. Now I must tell whoever may be reading this that my duties have come to and end, that there will be no more Medical Man, and that I am here, dead. So bye now my sweet world, I am glad to have lived.

 

-The Medical Man

**Author's Note:**

> Thank You For Reading!


End file.
